A 21-year-old Lexington County, South Carolina janitor was arrested on school property Monday after he allegedly sexually assaulted a Pelion Middle School student in a restroom, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
Juston Deon Smith, of West Columbia, was charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
According to arrest warrants, Smith “inserted his finger in the vagina” of a middle school student and placed his penis in the victim’s mouth.
Smith was caught by a school employee and law enforcement inside a bathroom stall with the victim on Monday, according to the warrant.
Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said detectives interviewed Smith, the victim, and a witness on scene. According to the arrest warrants, CCTV cameras corroborated the crime.
Smith was arrested at Pelion Middle School, a Lexington County District One School, on Monday. Smith worked for a janitorial service hired by the district, according to arrest warrants.
Click below to see the full arrest warrant.
Lexington One officials have contacted Smith’s employer and removed him from his school duties, according to a release from the school district.
The victim was between 11 and 14 years old, according to the arrest warrant.
Lexington One is working with Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Officials to respond to the incident.
“We take this very seriously,” Pelion Middle School Principal Kailanya Brailey said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for anyone to come into our school and hurt a child entrusted to our care.”
Smith was not given bond. He was booked at the Lexington County Detention Center Monday, where he was still behind bars on Tuesday.
If convicted, Smith faces up to 20 years in prison for the child sex crime.
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